131. Why Do We Cry?

No Stupid Questions

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Society & Culture

4.6 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2023

⏱️ 36 minutes

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Summary

Is sobbing a survival tactic? What happened when Angela wept in front of her boss? And what do sauerkraut and sadness have in common?

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm in physical pain, I'm in discomfort, I'm hungry.
0:08.4	I'm Angela Duckworth.
0:09.7	I'm Stephen Dubner.
0:10.7	And you're listening to those stupid questions.
0:14.3	Today on the show, what is the purpose of crying?
0:18.4	I'm not crying.
0:19.4	My eyes are just leaking.
0:20.8	I promise.
0:21.8	Angela, a listener named Shane writes in with a question that is surely not stupid.
0:34.6	He asks, simply, why do we cry?
0:37.6	It seems to be both a biological and an emotional reaction.
0:41.0	There must be a reason or while we have the phrase, a good cry.
0:46.0	Shane, I must disagree, Shane.
0:48.3	No such thing as a good cry, especially if you are a man, please do not ask such stupid
0:54.2	questions.
0:55.2	What accent specifically are you doing right now, Stephen?
0:58.6	Sorry, that was my tutonic super ego.
1:01.2	There's a man do not cry, Shane.
1:03.4	What are you thinking?
1:04.5	But anyway, Angela, what do you think?
1:06.4	Why do we cry?
1:07.4	Okay.
	...

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